This Los Angeles Lakers superstar led the Purple and Gold to the inaugural In-Season Tournament title. The 1st pick from the 2012 NBA Draft was unstoppable in the Finals against the Indiana Pacers. He made a huge statement as he led both teams in points and rebounds. With his historic performance, the center also overtook NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal in an extraordinary record.

O’Neal is one of the most decorated centers the league has ever seen who dominated his opponents for fun. So, to overtake him in the history books is not an easy achievement. After massive criticism from fans and analysts in the past few seasons, Anthony Davis showed everyone what he is capable of.

Anthony Davis went past Shaquille O’Neal

The Indiana Pacers had an impressive run in the In-Season Tournament this year. However, they were no match for the Lakers in the Finals. Anthony Davis and the Lakers lifted the trophy with a comfortable 123-109 win. AD was unplayable, and the Pacers had no answers for him.

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The Brow was dominant on both ends of the court with 41 points, 20 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 assists in 41 minutes as per ESPN. With this performance, Davis recorded his 5th 40+ points and 20+ rebounds game and went past Shaquille O’Neal who had four such games in his career.

After the game, superstar LeBron James was full of praise for Davis and compared him to O’Neal. He said, “That was a Shaq-like dominant performance. 40-20-multiple blocks. AD he was dominant. We’re the first to win the In-Season Tournament and nothing will ever top that.”

Now, Davis sits at the second spot only behind the legendary Moses Malone who had seven 40+ points and 20+ rebounds games. If the 8x NBA All-Star continues to stay healthy, there is no doubt that he will take the top spot.

Shaquille O’Neal’s criticism of Anthony Davis

Shaquille O’Neal has been very critical of Anthony Davis in the last few years. He has multiple times openly ripped apart the Lakers star.

It is no secret that Davis is injury-prone and is criticized a lot for it. Even though he has very little control over injuries, AD himself has acknowledged it. With the 8x All-Star, it is never a question of productivity and he has proved it time and again whenever he is on the court. Despite this, O’Neal noted that the center “has fell off” in March 2023.

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However, the Hall of Famer recently made it clear that he and his fellow analysts call out Davis constantly to push him to be better and not out of spite. Well, it is safe to say Shaq’s attempts worked as Davis surpassed him while leading the Lakers to the In-Season trophy.